Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to computers, and more particularly to a method, system, and computer program product switching functionality in a graphical user interface (GUI) pointer input device.
Description of the Related Art
The majority of businesses in the world today use computers and computer systems to store and manage information. In the context of computers and computer systems, an input device is any peripheral used to provide data and control signals to the computer system. Input and output devices make up the hardware interface between the computer and a user or external world.
In general, any sensor that monitors, scans for and accepts information from the external world may be considered an input device, whether or not the information is under the direct control of a user. Common examples of input devices include the conventional keyboard and mouse. A mouse is an example of a pointer input device, which includes a broad variety of input devices such as various types of mice, trackballs, trackpads, touchpads, and the like. Input devices such as pointer devices allow for user interaction with a graphical user interface (GUI) of the computer system. In this way, the pointer devices are examples of human interface devices, as the devices provide an interface between user and computer.
Typically, a pointer input device includes at least one button, button or “tap” functionality, or is in close proximity to the button or tap functionality. This functionality is commonly used to perform default functions of the pointer input device. For example, a user may select a portion of text by positioning the cursor at a specific location and holding a button/tapping and holding while physically moving the input device or moving the user's hand across the device. Some devices include additional buttons that perform additional default functionality, such as opening a menu.